2011 Aston Martin Rapide

Aston introduces the world's most beautiful hatchback.

As the world turns, so does the automobile market, and from the lowliest brand to the loftiest marque, companies generally have to proliferate to stay afloat. Such efforts have resulted in vehicles ranging from beautiful (Mercedes-Benz CLS) to blasphemous (Porsche Cayenne). Aston Martin’s future brand-stretchers—its Cygnet microcar (based on the Toyota iQ) and Lagonda macro-mess (based on temporary insanity)—could perhaps wind up being disasters, but that fate likely does not await two other new Astons: the spectacular, $1.75-million One-77 super-duper-car, and now the Rapide, easily the world’s most beautiful hatchback. Finally unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show after many months of teasing, the Rapide brings Aston Martin back into a segment in which it hasn’t competed for nearly two decades, and does so with utter grace. The DB9-derived styling shows that Aston’s design vocabulary can be sized up just as elegantly as down, as seen in the V-8 Vantage. While the proportions of the Aston look have changed somewhat in the form of the Rapide’s elongated fuselage, which makes the rear deck seem a tad short and the C-pillar rather thick, it appears no less sporty and swank than its two-door counterparts. If only Porsche’s look had translated so well onto the swollen Panamera. Indeed, in spite of the Rapide’s Panamera-like dimensions (197.6 inches long, 53.5 inches tall, and seven feet wide between the mirrors), Aston’s styling team disguised the size well. Visual aids include slim windows, large (20-inch) wheels, and a sheetmetal crease, à la V-8 Vantage, that reaches all the way back to the rear doors. Both sets of doors, in true Aston fashion, open “swan-wing” style at a slight upward angle. The B-pillar hides behind the side glass to retain a purity of line. The taillights contain no fewer than 360 LEDs, while LED lighting can also be found in the side-marker/mirror lights and front turn signals.

Big, Practical, and Luxurious . . .

A hatchback tailgate, power folding rear seats, and a movable rear bulkhead afford the Rapide perhaps the highest degree of practicality ever offered in a production Aston Martin. As for the rest of the cabin, it’s basically DB9-style luxury times two. The front seat occupants will feel right at home if, as is expected of many Rapide customers, they have driven or owned a DB9 or DBS in the past. In other words, it’s 360 degrees of wood, leather, milled aluminum, and sparkling magnesium. In back, a similarly cushy experience awaits, only with the sort of space that no Aston in history has ever provided. Okay, the ’80s-vintage Lagonda had reasonably capacious rear seating, too, but there’s something special about the Rapide’s twin individual bucket seats, which are positioned low with abundant legroom and a nice view forward. The front occupants’ upper backs will be visible (and pokeable) through an open space in the front seat shells, above which are optional entertainment screens. Rear passengers also get their own climate-control system. No matter where you sit, you can be blown away by a 1000-watt Bang & Olufsen “BeoSound Rapide” audio system with 15 speakers, including two of those cute little “Acoustic Lenses” that pop out of the dash like in the Audi A8 and S8.

. . . And Still a Sports Car?

Like the Panamera, the Rapide is considered a sports car by its creators in spite of its luxurious intentions and two extra doors. Built using the same VH architecture as the DB9, DBS, and Vantage, the Rapide is also powered by a 5.9-liter V-12, producing in this case a healthy 470 hp at 6000 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque at 5000 rpm. The sole transmission is the same “Touchtronic 2” six-speed paddle-shifted automatic offered in its brethren. Weighing in at a chunky 4299 pounds, according to Aston, within about 50 pounds of a Panamera Turbo, the Aston is no dainty petunia, but it will still be quick. We’ll have to wait, however, and see if Aston’s 0-to-60-mph estimate of 5.1 seconds is spot-on or perhaps a touch conservative. In any case, there’s nothing conservative about its claimed 188-mph top speed.

Fun for the Whole Family

The Rapide goes into production in early 2010 and will be distributed worldwide shortly thereafter. Pricing was not announced at the time of this writing, but will be available soon. “With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement, and entertainment,” says Aston Martin in a kitschier-than-thou press release. Images of good old Double-O tucking his slobbering children, borne of one (or two) of his swooning paramours, into the back of the Rapide dance through our heads. Well, as they say, the family that chases down villains, launches over open drawbridges, and saves hot ladies from certain death together, stays together.